Chapter 227: Terrifying Creatures Beneath the Cave Heaven Gravity Zone (6k)

Facing Zhang Wanbao’s confirmation again, Zhou Qing nodded without hesitation: “Yes, it would be better if everything could be exchanged for supreme-grade spirit stones.”

“Wait a moment—I’ll go find Master Fu!” Zhang Wanbao said, then hurried off.

After a short wait, he came scurrying back, beaming with delight.

“Big Brother Zhou, Grandpa Fu loved those items. He’s been brooding for ages over missing the Eastern Region’s Old Peng King incident last time. This time… never mind, I won’t bring it up.”

“Everything inside is priced at the highest rate—thirty-six supreme-grade spirit stones total.”

Looking at the storage bag returned to him, Zhou Qing felt a surge of joy.

Those items were nearly useless to him; exchanging them for spirit stones was far more practical.

“By the way, do you have any supreme-grade wood-element spirit stones?” Zhou Qing asked.

Zhang Wanbao shook his head. “I’m not sure—I’ll need to check the warehouse. Do you want to exchange for some?”

Zhou Qing nodded. “Yes, I need ten wood-element spirit stones.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wanbao was stunned.

Ten supreme-grade wood-element spirit stones—even at the most basic exchange rate—would require a hundred supreme-grade spirit stones.

That’s no small sum!

“Alright then, Big Brother Zhou, have some tea and snacks. I’ll head to the warehouse right away!”

As he spoke, Zhang Wanbao wiped the fine beads of sweat from his brow, then shuffled his bulky frame out of the inner room once more.

Zhou Qing watched his retreating figure and sighed with a wry smile.

He could easily have sent someone to check the warehouse, but since it was his own matter, he took it personally and refused to delegate it.

Zhou Qing was deeply moved, so he patiently waited where he was.

Soon after, Zhang Wanbao rushed back, face flushed, gasping for breath, eyes alight with excitement.

“Big Brother Zhou, you’re incredibly lucky! The warehouse just recently stockpiled ten supreme-grade wood-element spirit stones—originally scheduled to be shipped to Lingyun Mansion’s main headquarters this afternoon.”

“If you’d come even a moment later, they’d have been gone.”

Zhou Qing’s eyes lit up instantly. “Can you hold onto these spirit stones for me?”

“Of course! I’m the manager here. We’ll exchange at a 1:9 ratio—ninety supreme-grade spirit stones total. If you don’t have enough on hand, I’ll vouch for you—just sign an IOU.”

Zhang Wanbao patted his chest in assurance.

Watching Zhang Wanbao, panting and drenched in sweat, Zhou Qing felt a warm current rise in his chest.

He smiled and said, “Full price—no discount!”

Then he pulled out the remaining sixty-four supreme-grade spirit stones from his storage bag and handed them over.

Since the three senior brother’s Nascent Soul elixir, the trade of Chaos Xuan Metal, the healing herb Soul-Breath Grass for his Master, and all the help he’d received recently—he’d already burdened him enough.

Seeing Zhou Qing produce so many supreme-grade spirit stones at once, Zhang Wanbao stared in astonishment. “Big Brother Zhou, you’ve struck it rich lately!”

Zhou Qing shook his head. “Rich? These are all my savings.”

Zhang Wanbao didn’t press further. “Have more tea, wait a moment—I’ll get everything sorted for you.”

Then he left again.

“Thank you—just walk, don’t run!” Zhou Qing called after his retreating figure.

At the same time, his heart raced with excitement.

He hadn’t expected to gather even one of the four materials needed to cultivate the Enlightened Ancient Tea Tree so quickly.

Perhaps the other three could be found here too.

But he seemed to be running out of money.

Zhou Qing checked his storage bag: only sixteen ordinary supreme-grade spirit stones remained, plus eight fire-element and seven water-element spirit stones.

This morning he’d thought he wouldn’t worry about cultivation resources for a long time—now, it felt as if he’d returned to being penniless.

Especially now that he was a Level-Two Array Master, whether crafting arrays or breaking them, he needed vast quantities of materials—a significant expense.

If he had no other choice, he’d have to earn money by crafting arrays.

Originally, he could have exchanged directly with Second Uncle, who offered half-price.

But on his way back from the border, when he’d planned to convert everything into fire- and water-element spirit stones for the four-colored flowers, Second Uncle told him he’d run out of stock.

Left with no alternative, he’d been forced to seek other means.

“Big Brother Zhou—” Soon, Xiao Cancan walked into the inner room, smiling brightly, holding a storage bag.

Zhou Qing blinked in surprise. “Where’s Wanbao?”

Xiao Cancan pouted. “He ran too fast and got a cramp—he’s resting in the warehouse now.”

Zhou Qing: “...”

“Check the count—I brought it myself. That fat lump still doesn’t trust me, hmph!”

Xiao Cancan stomped her foot in annoyance, her face full of reproach.

Zhou Qing quickly smoothed things over. “He’s just worried you’ll tire yourself out—he cares about you. Don’t take it personally.”

As he spoke, he reached out to take the storage bag.

When he saw the ten supreme-grade wood-element spirit stones radiating rich vitality and a soft green glow, Zhou Qing’s heart leapt.

Perfect!

But then again, Zhang Wanbao was a Jin Dan cultivator—his physical condition, even if hereditary, definitely needed weight loss.

Looking at Xiao Cancan and Li Shitao, who had undergone a soul transmigration, both had reached the mid-stage of Jin Dan, steadily advancing.

“By the way, Big Brother Zhou, I heard the Governor of Longyuan Commandery arrived at the academy with the Blood Ban Army recently—did you see him?”

“Is it true that Lin Daochen from your academy has been promoted to a Level-Three Array Master?”

“Have you met the head of Baiyu Taixu Academy? I heard he founded it less than five hundred years ago, yet it’s already the most coveted holy land in Haomiao Prefecture.”

…

Xiao Cancan, brimming with curiosity, fired off a string of questions.

Zhou Qing glanced outside and, seeing Zhang Wanbao hadn’t returned, smiled and answered her.

After about a cup of tea’s time, Zhang Wanbao returned, face flushed with embarrassment, dragging his steps.

“I’ll leave you two to chat—I’m off!” Xiao Cancan rose, gave Zhang Wanbao a huff, pouted, and turned to leave.

Zhang Wanbao opened his mouth, then closed it again, words unspoken.

Zhou Qing watched the two of them and shook his head with a wry smile.

Both had been coddled too much by their elders—their temperaments still childish.

“They need a good scolding!” Zhang Wanbao muttered stubbornly as he sat down.

“What did you just say?” Suddenly, Xiao Cancan’s head popped back through the doorway, eyes sharp as daggers fixed on Zhang Wanbao.

Zhang Wanbao’s fat body jolted violently.

He quickly feigned indifference, picked up the teapot, and poured tea for Zhou Qing, muttering, “This tea’s poorly brewed—I’ll make you a fresh pot.”

Xiao Cancan rolled her eyes in disgust and turned away.

Only then did Zhang Wanbao exhale deeply, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, and gave Zhou Qing an awkward grin.

Zhou Qing forced back his laughter and changed the subject. “By the way, Wanbao, do you have spirit soil?”

Zhang Wanbao shook his head. “Never heard of it.”

“What about ice marrow?” Zhou Qing pressed on.

Zhang Wanbao shook his head again.

“What about Flame Spirit Flower?” Zhou Qing felt disappointment—he feared the worst had come true.

Zhang Wanbao looked embarrassed, for he truly hadn’t heard of any of the three items Zhou Qing asked about.

Soon, he seemed to recall something and pulled two jade slips from his storage bag, tapping them together to copy the content.

After a while, he handed the copied jade slips to Zhou Qing.

“Big Brother Zhou, these contain the names and images of all known heavenly treasures and rare herbs—compiled by Myriad Images Auction House over countless years.”

“I’ve only memorized less than forty percent myself. Maybe what you’re looking for is in here—take a look.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qing was thrilled and immediately took the jade slips.

He eagerly plunged his spiritual sense into them—and was instantly stunned by what he saw.

Merely the catalog of celestial plants alone was densely packed, numbering over thirty thousand entries.

The actual content was truly immense.

Each plant was recorded in excruciating detail: precise illustrations, morphology, texture, coloration, even fruit shapes—all lifelike.

Beyond that, their growth habits and corresponding uses were described exhaustively.

Such a priceless treasure couldn’t be bought even with endless gold.

Not only would it help him find the three items he needed now, but its value for his future understanding and practical cultivation was incalculable.

“I’ll buy it!”

Zhou Qing reached for his storage bag to pay, but Zhang Wanbao quickly stopped him.

“Big Brother Zhou, are you treating me like a stranger? Between us, why talk about money? Frankly—do I look like someone who needs cash?”

Zhang Wanbao’s expression was utterly sincere.

Zhou Qing reluctantly withdrew his hand from the storage bag, unsure how to thank him.

“If you ever need anything in the future, just say the word!” Zhou Qing said.

Zhang Wanbao finally smiled.

They chatted a while longer, but seeing people constantly arriving to deliver items and waiting for his decisions, Zhou Qing took his leave.

Outside, Li Shitao asked casually, “Why didn’t your mouthy third senior brother come?”

Zhou Qing was about to speak when a sudden idea struck him; he sighed and said, “He’s injured.”

Upon hearing this, Li Shitao’s calm expression instantly turned worried, and she asked without thinking, “How did he get hurt? When did it happen?”

But soon realizing her overreaction, she stubbornly added, “That slippery guy actually got hurt? Good riddance!”

Watching her sharp tongue but soft heart, Zhou Qing couldn’t help but smile.

These two always bickered the moment they met, yet they were the first people to know each other.

According to Third Senior Brother, before he joined Taiqingmen, he had pretended to be a Taoist priest to exorcise spirits—and that’s how he met Li Shitao.

Along the way, they teased each other, yet always cared for one another.

At this moment, Zhou Qing grinned: “Sister Tao, I was just joking—he’s fine. He went to help one of my sect’s Senior Brothers and should be back in a few days.”

Hearing this, Li Shitao flew into a rage, stepping forward two paces to punch Zhou Qing.

In that instant, her chest heaved violently.

She scolded, “Do you want a beating? But whether he’s hurt or not has nothing to do with me!”

Though she spoke like that, Zhou Qing clearly saw the fleeting look of relief in her eyes.

Zhou Qing laughed and fled like a startled rabbit.

…

After returning to the academy’s cave dwelling, Zhou Qing first fed some spirit stones to the old hen, then eagerly began searching through the jade slip.

The content was simply too vast; even with his spiritual sense, comparable to mid-Soul Transformation realm, he spent a full day before finally finding clues about spirit soil.

【Spirit Soil: A special type of soil that may form in ancient cultivators’ spirit herb gardens, or in environments long saturated with abundant spiritual energy, rich with pure and potent heavenly and earthly spiritual energy.】

【Generally used to cultivate rare divine herbs, achieving twice the results with half the effort.】

Then came two exquisitely detailed paintings, their appearance indistinguishable from ordinary soil.

Yet they displayed a pale gold and pale purple hue respectively.

After viewing them, Zhou Qing frowned.

Where am I supposed to find an ancient cultivator’s spirit herb garden?

Wait—

Suddenly, Zhou Qing realized something.

“Maybe I should go take a look!” He quickly pulled out the Divine Ruins Tiangong token and activated it with a supreme-grade spirit stone.

Soon he was inside the Tiangong.

He didn’t see Number Six; instead, Numbers Four and Five were battling their own restricted zones.

As soon as Zhou Qing entered, an unprecedented, crushing gravitational force slammed into him, sending him stumbling, his body swaying uncontrollably.

But this time, no Soul Transformation ghosts appeared—instead, the ground beneath him began to tremble violently.

A chilling, death-laced gaze instantly locked onto him.

Zhou Qing’s face changed—he’d forgotten such a crucial detail.

The next instant, the ground shook violently, as if some world-ending monster was about to burst forth.

Braving the gravity, Zhou Qing immediately drew his broken sword, transforming fully into his Golden Peng’s second form, every muscle tensed for battle.

“Roar!”

With a deafening bellow, a massive figure erupted from the earth.

When he saw what it was, Zhou Qing’s pupils shrank sharply.

It was a strange skeleton—on first glance, resembling dragon bones, yet unmistakably different.

For it bore four thick leg bones, supporting its enormous frame.

What sent chills down his spine was that its skull had been hollowed out—and inside sat a dried corpse, cross-legged.

The corpse’s attire made Zhou Qing feel oddly familiar, but he had no time to think; the corpse’s entire body radiated a horrifying bluish-black hue.

Deep within its sunken eye sockets glowed two emerald-green flames, fixed unblinkingly on him.

A wave of intense killing intent surged toward him; Zhou Qing tried to flee, but since his Soul Transformation breakthrough, the gravity in this zone had become more terrifying than ever, slowing his movements.

Moreover, the eerie skeleton moved faster than imaginable—before Zhou Qing could react, it was already upon him.

One thick leg bone swung down, smashing toward him with crushing force.

“Crash!”

A thunderous boom—Zhou Qing was blasted backward as if struck by lightning.

Even his hardened Peng armor was torn open by two deep gashes, blood gushing steadily from the wounds.

Zhou Qing’s face paled—he’d never had his defenses breached since cultivating the Emperor’s Radiance Scripture.

As he struggled to rise through the agony, the skeleton emitted a piercing shriek—a sound that seemed to pierce the soul, leaving him momentarily stunned.

The four-colored flower in his spiritual sea spun wildly; before he could recover, the dried corpse inside the skull suddenly extended a withered, skeletal arm and seized his skull.

Zhou Qing couldn’t dodge—he felt a freezing, bone-chilling force surge in, followed by the sound of “crack, crack,” as his skull fractured; blood instantly blurred his vision.

Then, like his head had been exploded by the Corpse-Wax Crow, his consciousness plunged into utter darkness.

When he opened his eyes again, he had reverted to a red light point, staring blankly at the restricted zone’s light barrier.

“Did I… just die?” Zhou Qing, still dazed, replayed the events in his mind.

It felt like he’d been crushed in three moves.

Were the hidden safeguards within Taiqingmen’s Heavenly Domain really this brutal?

No wonder the Supreme Elders dared not risk entering—they could only let disciples pass through the gravity zone, unlock the key, and then dare to proceed.

“As Master said, this thing beneath the gravity zone isn’t alive—it’s a puppet-like construct!” Zhou Qing murmured.

This puppet’s power couldn’t possibly be below Spirit Severing realm.

After all, since Taiqingmen’s founding, not a single Spirit Severing cultivator had ever emerged—how could they have forged such a powerful puppet?

“But it’s definitely stronger than the Supreme Elders—otherwise, they wouldn’t fear it so much. Perhaps its strength rivals that of Governor Zhong Yao!”

At this thought, Zhou Qing’s eyes suddenly lit up.

The ancestors of Taiqingmen truly had some skill.

Yet the dried corpse inside the skull… the more he thought, the more familiar it seemed.

“It’s the First Sect Master!”

Suddenly, Zhou Qing remembered—he widened his eyes in utter disbelief.

All core disciples of the Taiqingmen peak masters must visit the Ancestral Hall to pay respects to the portraits of every past Sect Master.

The clothing worn by the dried corpse matched exactly the style and patterns of the First Sect Master, Guo Guiqi, in his portrait.

Realizing this, Zhou Qing felt profound reverence.

They say the dead should rest in peace—but the First Sect Master had forcibly transformed himself into part of a puppet, choosing to become Taiqingmen’s final line of defense.

He silently guarded the restricted zone, witnessing generation after generation of Taiqingmen disciples grow, in his own way.

Zhou Qing sighed deeply, his heart filled with mixed emotions; he gazed once more at the barrier, then reluctantly chose to withdraw.

Clearly, with his current cultivation, he couldn’t break through the gravity zone—unless next time he entered with his true body and left behind some means, perhaps he’d have a chance.

His original plan had been to check whether the soil beneath the giant black heart-bound tree was spirit soil.

But there was no opportunity here in this simulation.

He turned again to search for clues about the other two medicinal herbs.

Soon, he found information on the Xuanbing Marrow.

【Xuanbing Marrow: A supremely cold and pure spiritual liquid, typically existing as ice-blue crystals, possessing potent nourishing and purifying properties.】

【For cultivators practicing ice-affinity techniques, it is an ideal auxiliary cultivation material.】

【Usually found at the bottom of thousand-year frozen ponds, or deep within ice caves in extreme cold regions—its formation probability is extremely low.】

Zhou Qing pondered.

“Ice-affinity cultivation?”

Aside from Lu Yaoyao, the only others he knew were Lu Yuanzhi and Number Six—perhaps they had leads.

Number Six had been in seclusion since obtaining the divine herb; the only one he could ask was Master Lu.

He’d probe her tone at the right moment.

Finally, by nightfall, he found the last material’s clue: 【Yanling Flower】.

【Yanling Flower: Its petals glow a vivid crimson, edged with faint golden flame patterns, a premier herb ingredient for many high-grade elixirs.】

【Typically grows in extreme yang locations—such as the edges of magma lakes, atop geothermal spirit veins, even alongside the birth of heavenly dao energy.】

Seeing this, Zhou Qing felt a surge of delight.

Inside the third coffin of the restricted zone, the entire miniature world had turned into magma—there must be Yanling Flowers there.

Moreover, the Yin-Yang energy he had cultivated was originally obtained by Second Uncle from that very place.

But that place housed a Spirit Severing-level Flame Crocodile King; last time, he and Second Uncle barely managed to torment it—going back now? How could he possibly succeed?

“This is frustrating!” Zhou Qing sighed helplessly, pulling out a branch of the Wudao Ancient Tea Tree, unable to suppress his lament.

Suddenly, his expression sharpened; he immediately tucked it away, turned his gaze outside the cave dwelling, and stepped out.

The moonlight flowed like water; it was still that tree, still that back view.

“Have you been to the border recently?” The white-robed figure spoke first.

Zhou Qing smiled but said nothing, instead flexing his wrists.

“Your breakthrough to Soul Transformation truly surprised me—but you still can’t catch me, I think,” the white-robed figure spoke again.

Silver light flickered beneath Zhou Qing’s feet, lightning arcs crackling audibly.

“How can you know unless you try?” Zhou Qing instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning, shooting toward the opponent.

In the blink of an eye, he had reached the white-robed man’s side, reaching out to grab his shoulder to see who he was—when the man calmly took a single step forward.

That ordinary step seemed to embody some law; Zhou Qing’s vision blurred, and the man suddenly stood dozens of paces away.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing was startled.

Without hesitation, he transformed into the second form of his Golden Peng true body and charged again.

The white-robed man clearly startled at Zhou Qing’s transformation, immediately increasing his speed; the two darted left and right through the night, one chasing, the other fleeing.

After a long while, Zhou Qing panted heavily and stopped; the other was also slightly disheveled.

Zhou Qing’s speed was already fast—he had nearly caught glimpses of the man’s profile several times.

But the man had surely reached the late or peak stage of Soul Transformation, compensating in some measure for any possible speed disadvantage.

“Let’s speak plainly—what grievance do we have?” Zhou Qing asked.

The white-robed man still faced away from Zhou Qing; judging by the rise and fall of his shoulders, he was adjusting his breath, then said: “No grievance. I just want to learn more about you—lately.”

Zhou Qing broke out in goosebumps and turned to leave.

If he stayed another moment, he would vomit.

(End of Chapter)